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Authenticity, not Gaslighting

Voters were clear in Election 2024, they expect authenticity - not gaslighting.

Hi all,

If you watch as much Tik Tok or read as much pop psych as I do, you’ve probably heard about gaslighting.  

Gaslighting is telling people that their perceptions of the world are faulty. And this election got me thinking about gaslighting and politics.   

When people tell you they feel cash strapped and pressed for resources, but the president points to some economic indicators and says everything’s fine, that’s a lot like gaslighting.  

Favorable lines on a chart don’t negate the fact that when people go to the grocery store, the packages are smaller, and the bill is higher. Bacon costs more than ever. And unemployment rates may go down, but that can mask the fact that some people have given up their job search entirely, and other people are working a second and third job to get by.  

No we’re not buying it

Americans were also concerned about President Biden’s cognitive abilities in response to public falls and verbal gaffes. The administration and the media insisted that he was “the best Biden ever” (and “sharp as a tack”) until Biden’s disastrous debate performance in June forced his campaign to admit that he wasn’t prepared for a presidential campaign or another term in office.  

It’s easy to imagine that gaslighting could hurt your desire to turn out and vote—after all, when a candidate tells you that your experience of the world is invalid and your concerns are unwarranted, you aren’t likely to feel understood by that candidate or motivated to show up to the polls. Indeed, Democrats’ turnout dropped six points between 2020 and 2024. 

Republicans, by contrast, heard and messaged on voters’ concerns about the economy and Biden’s mental state. They validated voters’ perceptions of the world, which is a lot more likely to make them feel heard and expect their concerns to be addressed. 

Gaslighting, the opposite of Authenticity

If gaslighting is denying reality, then the opposite of that is authenticity (another pop psych term getting a lot of interest these days). Authenticity is about acknowledging and living with the reality of yourself and people around you. It’s a more satisfying way to live because who you fundamentally are aligns with what you say and how you act. It’s easier to have relationships with and trust authentic people, because their behavior is predictable and understandable.  

Even though authentic politicians may seem like a contradiction in terms, many voters found Donald Trump more authentic than Kamala Harris. Despite Trump’s very real and significant flaws, there’s a sense that he is unapologetically himself. Trump leveraged this as his superpower, appearing on 20 podcasts and accumulating at least a quarter billion views leading up to the election. The unfiltered, unrehearsed impression of Trump may have appealed to voters who felt they were seeing his true self. 

In contrast, Harris remained largely absent during most of Biden’s presidential term and preferred to engage in short, soundbite-filled interviews as the election approached. She relied on celebrity endorsements, only reinforcing the feeling that the average American was living a different life than the vice president. Voters likely felt they knew less about her compared to Trump. 

Of course, gut feelings about a candidate can get voters to the polls, but what matters is how candidates conduct themselves in office.  Authentic vibes on the campaign trail may or may not translate into effective governing.   

What we can take from this election, however, is that voters expect authenticity. They don’t want highly choreographed debates in which the candidates have rehearsed and prepped and negotiated the perfect conditions. They want a two-hour podcast with no outtakes and nothing off limits. 

They also want their concerns addressed. They don’t want to be told that their side knows the Biden economy is fine or that their side knows Trump is just joking. Or that their perceptions and experiences of the world are wrong.  

And that’s what the Independent Center is here to do.  

We research the concerns, experiences, preferences, and values of independents with tools like polls, focus groups, and social media engagement. When we talk about policy, we focus on your concerns, experiences, preferences, and values.  

We won’t tell you that your perception of the world is inaccurate. And we won’t tell you that raising concerns or disagreeing on policy means you aren’t one of us.  

Maybe one day the politicians and parties will catch on.   Best,  

Lura  

Have you felt politically gaslit over the past year? If so, please share your experience.

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The Independent Center is the go-to organization for information, research, and engagement with independent voters, who now make up the majority of the electorate.

We represent those who are fed up with partisan politics and feel politically homeless. We believe the future is not red or blue; it’s fiscally responsible, socially inclusive, and free to choose the best options for ourselves, our families, and our communities.